One Last Hurrah
by DangerousVermin
Summary: "The moment we have dreaded for over a year is finally upon us. The Iconians, our most Dangerous Foe, have invaded the Federation. And there may be no stopping them. That doesn't mean we won't sure as bloody hell try!"


_"_ _Captain's Log, Stardate 93792.58. The final battle will soon be upon us, and I fear that we will not be ready. **John Paul Jones** has yet to return, and so I can only assume that they have been destroyed. Admiral Kai has ordered me to take **Churchill** and **Baton Rouge** to rendezvous with **Elysium** and secure the Alpha Site. Plans are currently underway for the continuation of Starfleet efforts here in the Outback but… it is my belief that Starbase 381 is not going to survive the coming battle. We have already lost contact with Earth, and can only assume that the Iconians have taken the planet."_

A voice comes over the recording, different from the one who was speaking.

 _"_ _Captain? Admiral Kai for you."_

 _"_ _Pause log. Thank you, Commander, patch her through."_

On the screen on the desk, flashes into existence Admiral Kai, tattoo still present upon her face, though her hair is streaked with grey and there are bags present under her eyes. Her face is haggard and drawn, and it draws a gentle sigh from the woman Admiral Kai is addressing.

 _"_ _Captain, it appears I am the bearer of yet worse news. Approximately 47 minutes ago, long range sensors picked up a force of 200 Iconian vessels are on course for Starbase 381. The majority of the group appear to be cruisers, but there are several dreadnought weight vessels as well. Effective immediately, I am putting Operation: Isolation into effect. You are to take Roosevelt and the rest of your task group and collapse the Caspian Wormhole. From there, you are ordered to rendezvous with [i]Elysium[/i] and evacuate the Alpha Site. From there… survive, as best you can."_

 _"_ _Understood, Captain._ _ **Roosevelt**_ _out."_

The visage of Admiral Kai is replaced by the rotating symbol of the United Federation of Planets, and reflected in the screen is the face of Stacy Adams, a vivid scar down the left side of her face, blinding her in the left eye - a remnant of the battle of OL-272. Her once brunette hair is now shorn to almost her skull, and her hands runs across it with a gentle sigh. Reaching for the shipwide intercom, she pauses, before pressing the button.

 _"_ _All hands, this is the Captain. We have been given our orders. We are to abandon Praetorian, taking our battlegroup to rendezvous with Task Group_ _ **Elysium**_ _and evacuate the Alpha Site. From there, we are to survive. Khre'Riov t'Latta will purge 381's computer banks, to give us the best possible chance for survival. But I won't lie to you. I have brought you back from every mission this ship has undertaken. But I fear this is our final run._

 _All hands, battlestations."_

All across the Devron-Class vessel, lights darken, sideboard lights begin flashing red, shields energize, defense fields snap into place around the warp core, the armory and the torpedo magazine. Security personnel begin distributing phasers; Type 2 hand phasers for most personnel, Type 3 phaser rifles to the security personnel, and Type 3b rifles for MACO and Hazard Team.

Standing from her chair, Captain Adams moves onto the bridge of the **Roosevelt** moving across to the center chair with a purposeful stride, before easing herself into her chair.

 _"_ _Open a channel to the battlegroup. Transmit orders and vectors. Send an encrypted subspace message to_ _ **Elysium,**_ _inform them we are on our way. Helm, set course 147 mk 22, warp 8. Engage."_

 **Roosevelt** and the 6 ships of her battlegroup move away from Praetorian, passing through the defense grid, before jumping to warp, leaving behind what remains of Task Force Avalon, forming around the **Nautilus**.

On **Roosevelt** 's bridge, Adams remains straight-backed, overlooking the tactical display on the main view-screen as the 7 blue chevrons leap across the map, towards the 4 blue chevrons stationed above OB-01.

"Captain… where's the rest of the Alliance?"

 _"_ _Thierr retreated to help defend New Romulus. Only understandable. The Klingon's have scattered their navy throughout the Milky Way, bolstering our lines after the loss of Earth. Last I heard, the Vulcan and Andorian Navies were engaging the Iconians in orbit of P'Jem._ _ **Tavistock**_ _took_ _ **Miyazaki**_ _,_ _ **Sparta**_ _and_ _ **Jonas Salk**_ _to help defend Cait._ _ **Rodney**_ _and most of Task Force Britain were wiped out in the Battle of Sigma X-5. We're on our own."_

 _"_ _Captain! Task Group_ _ **Elysium**_ _is reporting Iconian signatures, they are moving to engage."_

 _"_ _Drop us out of warp! Bridge to Gunnery, charge the lance, stand by to fire! Bring all weapons online._ _ **Roosevelt**_ _to Task Group President, fire on all enemy ships. We have to drive them off and evacuate the Alpha Site."_

Slipping from warp, **Roosevelt** and her group see the strength of the enemy fleet: One cruiser, 9 frigates and several waves of fighters.

 _ **Roosevelt**_ _to_ _ **Churchill, Baton Rouge**_ _. Move to engage those enemy fighters._ _ **Franklin**_ _, take_ _ **Minneapolis**_ _and engage that frigate formation._ _ **Kuznetsov, Mockingbird**_ _, reinforce_ _ **Elysium**_ _. Bridge to Lance Control, target enemy cruiser and fire. Tactical, follow up with full spread, all weapons. Execute."_

The 7 ship formation breaks up, the **Excelsior** and **Cheyenne** class accelerating to attack speed, utilizing their point defense weapons to decimate the enemy fighter squadron, while the **Vesta** -and the **Yamaguchi** -class move to engage the enemy frigate formation trying to push to the planet. Meanwhile, the **Alita** and **Avenger** Class fly through the hail of phaser and torpedo fire to form a barrier on **Elysium** 's flank.

 **Roosevelt** , at the same time, has broughther nose to bear on the enemy cruiser, and a several meter thick lance of phaser energy erupts from beneath the saucer, slamming into the cruiser and punching through to the other side. Shortly after, a barrage of white-blue quantum torpedoes and maximum yield phaser fire follow, striking along the cruiser's frank, cutting it almost in half with the force of the explosions. With the loss of their heavier ship, and the near decimation of the fighter screen, the frigates activate gateways and disappear.

 _"_ _... Hail all Starfleet ships. Tell them to form up on Roosevelt, including Task Group_ _ **Elysium**_ _]. This was too simple. Maximum power to transporters, get the people off the planet. ...Inform_ _ **Nautilus**_ _that we have driven off a cruiser squadron and will be returning shortly."_

 _"_ _Aye Captain. … Captain, I can't raise_ _ **Nautilus**_ _. Or_ _ **Praetorian**_ _. We… We're being jammed."_

 _"_ _... This was a distraction. They're hitting_ _ **Praetorian**_ _now. And we haven't collapsed the wormhole yet. Jesus… ETA on evacuation?"_

 _"_ _Nineteen minutes, Captain."_

 _"_ _Helm, plot a course back to Praetorian, maximum warp. Inform the fleet we're going back. As soon as the planet is clear, engage at maximum warp. Mr. Tesla, clear that jamming!"_

 _"_ _Captain, the jamming has cleared."_

 _"_ _Mr. Tesla, put Starfleet frequency 281612 on audio."_

Over the speakers on the bridge comes the sound of battle and death. Screams, explosions and the bark of CO's desperately trying to hold the line flicker across the comm, along with the bark of Khre'Riov t'Latta, ordering the lance fired as often as possible. Standing from her seat, Adams moves to the operations console, before cancelling the audio.

 _"_ _Lieutenant Ray, set a course for Praetorian. Maximum warp. Relay to the battlegroup. As soon as the transport is complete, energise. If we are to surrender this galaxy, we will evacuate as many people as we can."_

Turning back to her bridge crew, she eyes them all, including her Executive Officer. _"You all know our orders. I plan to disobey them._ _ **Roosevelt**_ _is the sole Starfleet Dreadnought left in the Outback. If Praetorian is under fire, it is out job, duty, and right to be in the middle of the fray. Any who object to my plan speak up, I'll note it in my log ... assuming enough of the ship survives to record one."_

 _"We'd be grateful if you could cease your talking and give us orders, Captain."_

15 minutes later, 4 under the estimation, the reinforced Task Group President leaps into warp, towards Praetorian. Dropping out of warp on the edge of the system reveals the true size of the enemy fleet: Two hundred vessels - Dreadnought, Cruiser and Frigate weight - all besieging Avalon and Praetorian. Praetorian appears to be the great balancer, as it's obscene amount of weapons are tearing frigate groups apart, while the lance is weakening the shields of the nearest Dreadnought. However, it seems that the Iconians are aware of this, as a Dreadnought trio turn to face the station, and with their anti-proton lances, annihilate Lance Control, removing Praetorian's greatest asset and causing explosions across the starbase.

 _"_ _ **Roosevelt**_ _to all vessels. Engage, Engage, Engage. We are evacuating the Outback. Punch a hole through the line and get Avalon through the wormhole. We need to buy Praetorian time to evacuate by shuttle and escape pod. Move!"_

Moving into the fray, the three-nacelled starship opens fire on a myriad of vessels, lances of orange fire leaping from her saucer, nacelles and nacelle pylons, striking the Iconian vessels indiscriminately, torpedoes spewing from her launchers as fast as they can be loaded - But it's obvious that Starfleet can't hold the line. With Praetorian out of action, they simply don't have enough ships. Roosevelt's shields flare under fire, but the dreadnought continues to fire.

 _"_ _Captain! Massive energy surge from the Wormhole. Incoming vessels!"_

 _"_ _... Inform the fleet. Stand by to collapse the-"_

 _"_ _Sir! They're … friendly! Broadcasting friendly IFF!"_

Through the flaring wormhole slips the small, lithe form of a Defiant Class, IFF painting it as U.S.S. **Tavistock**. The small Defiant immediately opens up on a Iconian frigate, quickly tearing it apart as it moves away from the wormhole. Following the Defiant emerges a myriad of vessels: Romulan - D'Deridex and Mogai, firing plasma torpedoes at enemy cruisers - Klingon - Negh'Var and Vo'Quv, which immediately move to support Praetorian - And Caitian, a solid dozen Atrox Class carriers and Feloz Class cruisers, which immediately launch every fighter they carry, moving to join up with the beleaguered Avalon.

"Captain! I have isolated the enemy command ship - Iadion Class Dreadnought, out near the long range transceiver. There's … sir, the **Mikasa** is moving to engage - Correction, they are moving … on a collision course."

" **Roosevelt** to **Nautilus** , we have to buy **Mikasa** time. If they can take out the Command ship, we might have a chance here!"

"I agree, Captain. All ships, fire at will. Focus fire on enemy cruisers and overwhelm them."

The Starfleet vessels focus their firepower on 3 cruisers at a time, quickly overwhelming and destroying them, but they are still losing vessels. The **Caliope** explodes, a Iconian torpedo cutting through the weakened armour and striking the core; **Barclay** 's bridge is destroyed, cut open by multiple Iconian beams; A series of Baltim Raiders strike **Kennedy** 's neck, severing the ship in two and leaving both adrift.

And then, there's a magnificent white flash across every ship's viewscreen, followed by a thunderous roar that shakes the deckplate, washing over Avalon and causing a pause in all combat.

"Report!"

" **Mikasa** fired a tricobalt weapon at the last moment! The enemy flagship has been destroyed. Unfortunately, **Mikasa** has also been destroyed, zero escape pods."

With the destruction of the Iadion Dreadnought - And the death of the Iconian aboard - the battle pauses, as though both sides can't believe what happened. However, the pause doesn't last long as gateways open all around Praetorian, and thousands of Iconian vessels surround the besieged Starfleet vessels. Admiral Kai, Captain T'Molina and Captain Adams are all transported from their vessels to the Iconian flagship, with Admiral Kai stepping forward on behalf of Starfleet.

"YOU WERE WARNED."

"We were, yes, but you cannot expect us to roll over and die."

"YOU HAVE KILLED ONE OF OUR SISTERS."

"You have killed millions of our sisters."

"WE CANNOT RISK OURSELVES. WE DEMAND ONE ROMULAN. THIS IS THE PRICE OF PEACE."

"... Who?"

"THE ONE KNOWN AS 'SELA'."

"... Why do you want her?"

"THIS IS NOT YOUR CONCERN. GIVE HER TO US, AND WE WILL WITHDRAW."

Adams pipes up. "I'm all for it. One person, the price of peace?"

Admiral Kai frowns at Stacy, before turning back to the Iconian Leadership. "Where will you go?"

"TO THE HOMEWORLD. YOU WILL GIVE US 'SELA' AND YOU WILL LEAVE US IN PEACE. IN RETURN, YOU AND YOUR GALAXY AND ALL WHO RESIDE WILL BE SPARED."

Admiral Kai heaves a great sigh, before nodding. "... Agreed. Pull your ships back, and I will personally bring Sela to OB-200, where she will be transported to you."

"ACCEPTABLE."

Kai, T'Molina and Adams are transported back to their respective commands, and the Iconian fleet blinks out, travelling through their gateways to regions unknown.

Adams, after blinking into existence back on her bridge, glances at her dishevelled crew.

 _"_ _... Stand down Red Alert. Yellow Alert. Begin Search and Rescue operations. Get me casualty and damage reports. … And get Tavistock to transport Commander M'Rella aboard."_

With the retreat of the Iconian forces, repair vessels from Starbase 39, Starbase 24 and Starbase 12 arrive at Praetorian to begin repairs. Memorials are held for the thousands who died in Praetorian's final battle. Admiral Kai is made permanent CO of the 26th Fleet, with Captain T'Molina being promoted to Admiral and ordered to assume command of Avalon. Captains Scott and Wellesley are made Executive Officer and Second Officer respectively of Avalon, and Captain Adams retains command of Task Group President.

Captain Adams and Commander M'Rella finally manage to find time to get married.


End file.
